An Epic System Glitch
by Beowulf the Novelborn
Summary: I'm Tyler Miller. For years I've been alone, being the only person in the US to have a Neuro Linker. I'm ahead of my time but many see me as the weird kid for this. When an accident forces me to Japan, an unusual game appears in my system. With new friends and a limited knowledge of my system, it's time to Burst Link and Game on as Obsidian Proxy!
1. Chapter 1: Ahead of my Time

Chapter 1: Ahead of my Time

Class began once again and this was my sophomore year. My classmates put on their headsets and gloves as they logged into the virtual tour of the Signing of the Declaration of independence. The teachers always told us that the best way to learn was through experience, and we believed them. But I was still out of place.

"Tyler", the teacher spoke to me, "Please put your neuro-gear on." To my relief the other students paid no mind to me. I looked around to my classmates, to make sure that no one listened, and I said, "Ma'am I'm...not compatible with Neuro-Gear." I proceeded to explain my situation to her and started up my Neuro-Link mod. It was glitched in some ways but it was bearable.

The Neuro-Gear was anew system of learning that was being tested by a few selective schools here in Louisiana. It was inspired by the sudden popularity and success of the Neuro-Linker in Japan. Because the designs were exclusive to that area, America was left in the dark, until someone began to build on a similar operating system. We were years behind Japan, but we were taking our first steps in virtual reality.

At least, everyone else was.

I was probably the only exception. You see, before I was born, my parents had done a massive favor for one of the Neuro-Link developers while on a trip to Japan. But as my mother went into labor, the developer found a way to repay them. It was that day that he gave me the opportunity to be years ahead of my time as the doctors installed an official Japanese Neuro-Link system into me.

I know it sounds creepy at first. They implant a computer into the back of your neck so you can literally plug yourself in. But I got used to it. All of my friends said that I had come straight from the scenes of the Matrix. Others were freaked out by my enhancement, mostly the girls. But more often than not, I was bullied for being the Black Sheep. So for years, I was alone. I was literally the only guy on this half of the globe who possessed such technology. It felt like a curse.

But today, something happened that would forever change my life. As i walked home from school, a black car drove up and three guys, one with a gun, tried to force me into the car. If only that cop hadn't rounded the corner at that moment, I would have been a goner. The men got away, but not before a bullet took off a small part of my earlobe and scratched my cheek. I leaned up against a streetlight and slid to the ground shaking uncontrollably. Not once has my situation gotten this bad before.

The cop followed me as I was brought to the hospital. My parents talked to the policeman outside of my room and I caught a brief bit of their conversation.

It turned out that those people weren't after me, they wanted my Neuro-Link. They were part of a group that was tired of being left behind by Japan and they wanted to reverse engineer the Neuro-Link technology for themselves. That set me as their person of interest. Another man stepped in and walked away with my parents for a few minutes.

I cried quietly as I drifted off to sleep. I didn't care about this so-called "advantage" that I had. It had caused me more pain than I was willing to bear. I wanted to change, to transform my life. I made the mistake of going to sleep.

I had a terrible nightmare as I slept. I couldn't remember the entire thing, but I remember how I was strapped down to a lab table, operated on, treated like some sort of lab rat. At the very end, the test caused my body to slowly change into something absolutely horrifying! "Stop it! Stop it! Please!" I yelled. But then I heard my parents' voices and snapped upright, now fully awake and sweating profusely.

"Tyler! Thank God you're safe!" my mother said hugging me. I calmed down in her embrace.

"Nice to see that you're still among the living", my father ruffled my hair. A long silence followed until a man walked into the room. He had an Asian appearance and he had choppy black hair, glasses, and was roughly forty.

"So you're Tyler Miller, huh? Pleasure to see you again", he pushed up his glasses and turned to my parents, "I've made the call and preparations have already been complete."

"What preparations?" I asked. My parents both slipped slowly into their "We have something to tell you" expressions. But they both looked to the man.

"I believe that i should introduce myself. My name is Minato Korumo, from Japan's Advanced Neuro-Technology, or JANT. I'm one of the developers of the Neuro-Linker and I have known you ever since before you were even born."

I sat up further, "So you're the guy who had this thing put on me", I said. I've always wanted to meet this guy. He briefly turned to reveal a Neuro Linker on the back of his neck. It must have been installed around that same time that mine was, when he was in his twenties.

"That's right Mr. Miller!" he said with a calm but cheerful tone, "I was in country to see just how far along America's Neuro Gear was coming along. Just to make sure that they hadn't been copied directly from our own design. I had also heard about how you lived nearby, so I tried to stop by to see your progress with your enhancement. I'm sorry to see that it has caused much pain though."

I sighed, "Yeah, I've been bullied a lot as of late. A lot of the students saw me as a black sheep."

"No, it's not because you're different. It's because they're jealous. You're at least a decade ahead of anyone else in America, and the bullies know it. But I see that jealousy is now just a minute point. That's why your parents and I have come to an important decision", he then looked to my parents.

My mother hesitated for a moment before she told me, "We're having you go into the international student exchange program." I remained silent.

"Look, as much as we hate to admit it," my father picked up, "this wasn't the first time that you've been threatened by these people, but it was the first time they've taken action. America just...isn't safe for you anymore. And we don't want you to live your life being guarded by cops twenty-four seven. So we've decided that you have to grow up somewhere away from the potential chaos you'd face here. The only way that our family can safely accomplish this is through a student exchange program."

"But the only place that would be safe is..." I started but never finished.

"That's right, Japan!" Minato confirmed, "Now I understand that it is particularly far from home. But...Mr. and Mrs. Miller, would you mind if I spoke to Tyler alone for a moment?"

"Of course", my father said before they walked out of the room. My mother nodded to me, silently saying, "It's for the best."Minato pulled out a long cord and plugged one end into his Neuro Link. He reached out with the other end.

"Okay, hold still", he plugged it into mine and said not a word more.

_"_What the heck is this idiot doing?" I thought to myself.

"You do realize that I can hear you right?" I went stiff with terror as I realized that he was speaking directly into my mind!

"What the hell is this?!" I began to panic.

"Settle down, Tyler", he smiled to me, "It's simply a direct link. I understand that you've never heard of it since you've sort of been one of a kind in this country. But direct linking is common in Japan whenever two students or coworkers need to share files, or have a private conversation. Only use it in formal situations. Now, what happens in the link stays here. You ready?" I nodded.

"I personally think that it is better for everyone if you come to Japan. I understand that it may be particularly far from home, but you _will _be safe there. Your parents will understand that you'll be safe under my watch. Also, I have determined that you are still very unskilled in using the Neuro Link to it's full potential. You carry a very expensive piece of equipment, and I won't easily tolerate it not being put to proper use. So I'll instruct you in how to use it. You can still keep in touch with your parents and friends through a special link. But most important of all, I have no doubt that you'll make new friends in Tokyo. Every student in high school has been fitted with Neuro Links, you won't ever be alone. I can provide you with a very nice host family with a student from your new school. So, what do you say?"

This was a lot to take in all at once. Japan was on the other side of the globe! I mean, sure my life here wasn't exactly too good, but I still had great friends. And my parents, I would find it hard to finish off childhood without them.

Then again, Japan was _the_ single safest place on the planet for me. Sure I would have to adjust to a new language and lifestyle, but now i had a chance to make friends in a place where I would never have to face discrimination again! I would never be alone again!

I made my decision.

"Mr. Minato, I'll do it. I don't think that this is a chance that I'll ever come across again. I won't pass it up! When do I leave?"

Minato smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. As I said to your parents, preparations have already been made, and all of your belongings have been packed. We can leave for the airport whenever you're ready."

.

(High above the Pacific Ocean)

After a trip to the airport and an emotional exchange of NG account addresses and goodbyes, I was on a jet to Tokyo. I haven't been out of the United States since the day I was born. But this was the first time I remember being on a plane. It both amazed and terrified me. Looking out at the night sky, I saw the stars, brighter and more numerous than I've ever seen them before. It would remain "night" for me during the entire ride to Japan.

When I thought about it, I was _born _in Japan, even though my parents were both American. Legally speaking, that gave me double citizenship! I was legally Japanese! Thinking about this made me feel like I was returning to my home away from home. It was much more comforting.

Before Minato went to sleep, he used a direct link to install his latest invention, a language translator. This program would automatically translate what others said into English speech in my mind. If i wanted to respond, the program would allow me to mentally type out a message then display it to other Link users as a chat box or play it as a verbal message in a near perfect replication of my own voice. It would also provide translations for any Japanese text I looked at. Linguistically speaking, I was all set.

I smiled and decided to hit the sack. But a notification appeared in my Link menu. There was a new icon, one with a rugged looking letter B on the front. Intrigued, I clicked it and a message exploded onto the screen, "Welcome to Brain Burst!" I've never downloaded this. A number, 10,000, appeared beneath it. "Do you wish to start?" I looked around then clicked "okay". One final message appeared, "Connecting to global net. Say 'Burst link to begin initial gameplay, or 'Unlimited Burst' to enter the Free Zone." A game! I've never played games via Link before! I was ready to dive in headstrong!

"Unlimited Burst!" I whispered. Suddenly, my surrounding plane disintegrated in a shower of pixels. Then I was on solid ground.

I gasped as I looked at a magnificent virtual world. I saw a landscape covered in red volcanic glass, part of which had enveloped a futuristic city. I stood at the top of the volcano itself. The city lights sparkled, but there was no activity whatsoever. Stars filled the night sky. I could feel the cool breeze coming up the mountainside. I never knew that you could actually _feel _things with games! The Neuro Link was capable of all of this and I never knew about it!

I then noticed that the number of points had dropped to 9990! Doing this Unlimited Burst thing had taken ten points off the counter! I had a sense of dread that when it hit zero, it would be game over for good.

A health bar was lowered on a chain down the top left of my field of vision. In black letters with volcanic orange patches was a name, Obsidian Proxy. That had to be me. I walked up to a piece of volcanic glass and looked at myself.

"Obsidian Proxy" was probably six foot one, and had long arms and legs of a slim build. My body was dark purple, almost black and had bits of glowing orange in between some of the armored plates. The plates looked like pieces of something else, I don't know what, but it was well organized. I wore a helmet with a metal mask that covered everything below my glowing orange eyes, with obsidian colored pupils. Finally, there were two arch shaped, wing-like formations on my back, but I was incapable of making them move an inch. I was a volcanic Iron Man suit!

Before I could marvel at myself for too long, a warning appeared, "Incoming opposition! Make your mark on the Accelerated world!" I looked around to see a small army erupting from the volcanic glass. They were humanoid creatures of a similar volcanic design as me, but they glowed blue instead of orange.

Using gameplay like this, I would have to fight them using my own battle skills, not a programmed move! Lucky for me, I've done fencing and karate. I hit an icon that said, Blade. A panel shaped piece on my right arm split into three pieces, the inner most jutted forward as a glowing lightweight blade, almost thin enough to be a rapier. the outer two pieces, closed up to add support as a hilt. "Do you wish to name your blade?" the game asked.

I already thought up a name. "Alright, this blade's name is Excaliburn!" I raised it high. and looked at the oncoming swarm.

I sprinted forward as the ground at my feet exploded lightly. My design was using a miniature volcanic explosion to propel me forward as I stepped! I had reached the swarm in seconds and slashed through the first minion. It dissolved into pixels and my point counter went up by one. Now I understood. While coming here had a price, I could earn the points back by fighting! the point of the game was to survive! That meant that I needed to start hunting!

I smiled and began slicing away at minions as they came. I wasn't even growing tired from this, another perk of gaming. but a got a little cocky and one nailed me from behind. Pain rang in my head and my health bar dropped by twenty-five percent! That was one of the bigger ones, and the force of the blow threw me back up the mountain and into the volcano! I panicked as I fell into the lava preparing for the burn. But it didn't come. The lava was actually rather warm and relaxing, like stepping in a hot tub! More than that, my health bar wasn't going down at all. It actually started to rise just a little every two seconds! Of course I should have expected that from a character like mine.

I leaped back out of the lava once my health had reached ninety percent and went back into battle with a sense of joy. I was much more cautious around these things, but I cut through them just as fast. The points racked up and I cut down the last one after about twenty minutes of fighting. The points had racked up to a whopping 10,130! My joints began to ache a little and I stepped back into the lava to heal completely. I felt refreshed again. I looked out over the cliff and held Excaliburn high!

"How do you like that?!" I shouted out, "Is that the best you got?! Come at me Brain Burst!"

I really wish I hadn't said that.

The lava began to burn slightly and I saw that it was turning blue, just like the minions! I got back out and stayed out of the lava. The volcano erupted as a giant hand the size of my garage reached out and grabbed the side of the mountain. This thing was five stories tall and was molten blue and black, just like the minions. But this was no minion, this was the boss! Another health bar appeared with a name over it, Vulcanus the Antimagma Titan. He lifted up his head and roared, "VUUUUULLL!" The game had told me that I had to make my mark on the Accelerated World, this universe. It looked like I would have to go through this guy first.

A message came up onscreen that said, "Do you wish to go to level two?" I hit yes without even thinking and my points plummeted to 9030! it took away a thousand points from me! I completely skipped over that warning. The game then said, "New powers unlocked: Open Fire and Transition!

I was so focused that I almost got crushed by the giant's fist! "Whoa!" i screamed as I barely dodged. Shrapnel slammed into my back taking away five percent of my health. Melee attacks were NOT going to work on this big guy! So I selected my new power, Open Fire. The right wing-like formation on my back suddenly bent down and attached itself to my arm right arm. A Gatling gun appeared on the end and spun around.

"Now that's more like it! Open Fire!" I yelled and the gun fired tracer rounds at the giant. He roared in pain as his health bar slowly began to drop. My guns stopped for two seconds to reload. But by that point, Vulcanus was using his Antimagma to heal himself. It appeared that my Magma hurt him as much as Antimagma hurt me. I wasn't going about this the right way. His arm turned into a giant cannon and he fired at me. I was fast enough to dodge, but it would only be a matter of time before he hit me. I doubted I'd survive even a single shot from that thing.

But that time came whenever I slipped and he fired at the same time. I had no other options so I activated Transition. I was not prepared for what happened next. The cannon reverted to normal position and I back flipped in midair. I heard a sound that resembled the Transformers "changing" noise and before I knew what happened, I had blasted off at high speeds. I changed to third person for a moment and saw that Obsidian Proxy had just turned into an FAX-44 Mk. III fighter jet with my color scheme! Those things on my back really were wings after all! I turned back around and Open Fired on Vulcaus. He had much more trouble hitting me, but I was having trouble hitting him. and I was doing exactly as much damage as I did before.

He had to have a weakness somewhere. But it wasn't long before I saw it. Every time he fired, a pulse of light traveled from a set of lava veins over his heart and into the cannon. That was his source of power. I came back around and fired at that spot. His health dropped thirty percent over three seconds, but he covered it up with his left hand. His right arm whirled around and swatted me out of the air. I Transitioned as I skidded into the field of volcanic glass. I flipped several times before finally regaining my footing. I was down to twenty percent health! I had found his weakness, but it didn't mean squat if I couldn't hit it. I looked down and the ground cracked slightly. There was an orange glow from beneath. Lava! The entire glass field was sitting on top of one giant vat of Magma!

I had an idea.

I fired shots at the giant, and he began to lumber this way, a rumble coming from deep in his throat. I dove back into the grove of glass formations and whipped out Excaliburn. I then ran around the giant with my blade cutting into the ground behind me. Occasionally I would stop and fire a full barrel of ammo into His eyes so he could tell where I was and he'd follow me. He was now right in the middle of the field and I had completed my circle around him, at least a quarter mile in diameter. I then ran right beneath him twice as I made a giant X across the entire circle. It took a while but it was finally ready. I got right on top of that center of the circle, right in front of him.

"Hey! Hot head!" I fired at his stomach and he looked at me in annoyance. His cannon turned back into a giant fist and he hurled a punch at me. I quickly dodged as his blow connected with the ground. The mark I made in the ground was further opened by the force of the giant's attack and the ground began to crumble into the lava beneath it! Vulcanus' foot sank into the molten rock and he lost his balance. His health bar rapidly dropped as the lava burned him and his weak spot was left wide open. I Transitioned and flew in a loop and Transitioned back as I was about to slam into his heart. He began to reach for me, but I had already pulled out Excaliburn and stabbed it into his heart sinking it in hilt deep.

The Giant's heath bar shattered like glass as Vulcanus himself roared in pain and collapsed. His body slowly dissolved and a blue ball the size of a baseball sat in his place. I ran over and picked it up. It turned orange upon contact and it placed itself firmly on my sternum. A similar ball with a rocky P in the middle appeared beside my name.

"Congratulations! You have reached the rank of Magma Prime. Hold your territory and make it grow! Do you wish to link out?" Yep, I was definitely ready to take a break. So I pressed yes. "The Link Out point is located at the top of the mountain. Remember that you must first reach a Link out point to exit Unlimited Burst." I flew to the top of the mountain Now carrying ten thousand and fifty "Burst Points". I don't know where this game came from, but I loved it!

I linked out and stretched. Talk about an immersing yourself in the game. I looked back at my watch, still set to my home time zone. But I was shocked to find that the time hadn't changed at all since I linked in! That was impossible! Unless...

"Burst Link!" I said waving my hand in front of my face. In that instant, everything froze and took on a bluish tint. I found myself standing in the middle of the aisle looking at myself frozen. It made sense now. The program speeds up the user's thought process! So a half hour for me was merely a second in real time! I walked down the aisle and looked at the other passengers. This was the true potential of the Neuro Link! I decided to keep this a secret until Minato directly spoke of the program called Brain Burst.

(End of Chapter 1)

.

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HEEEEYYYOOO! Beowulf here! With yet another story!

I have been a huge Accel World fan and I always envied the characters in it. Just today I figured, "Good gosh! This is one of my favorite shows! How could I not have written a story about it by now?!" So I typed out this bad boy!

But it's obvious that there's something...different about Tyler Miller's Avatar, Obsidian Proxy. Seems a little odd that he starts out with 10,000 Burst points right off the bat! But there's a reason for this. I'll explain that in the later chapters. For now I need to start working on the next chapters of the other stories.

Wish me and Tyler luck!

Beowulf out!


	2. Chapter 2: My New Worlds

Chapter 2: My New Worlds, Real and Otherwise

When I woke up at the airport, I checked my display to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, Brain Burst was still on my display as an icon. That place where time slows, Accel World, it was out there in Cyberspace. When I got the chance, I had to check it out again. Then again, in a place where one second here is thirty minutes there, I had all the time in the world! I was going to dominate with this power at my disposal and now I had a surefire way to keep a steady income of points.

It was morning and the Sun was now rising over Tokyo. That brightly lit city was my home, my place of origin. Minato could easily read my expression of a kid in a candy store.

"While we're out, how about we get something to eat. You'd love the food here", he said as he walked to the subway.

"Oh, I'm not taking your word for it, Mister!" I said catching up to him and beating him to the station outside. Where did we go first? The mall to Minato's favorite ramen shop. Now, I know that Ramen Noodles is something of a cheap food back in America, but not in Japan. In Japan, it's not an instant meal, rather, they make the noodles at the restaurant itself and they use real ingredients. So it's actually a pretty healthy course. Although I couldn't use chopsticks very well, I ate up.

"Man I wish the ramen in America was this good!" I exclaimed, still in English.

"Remember what I said. Use the app until you can speak fluently", he reminded me.

"I know, but it's just you and me right now. It's okay now, right?" I asked.

"True, but keep in mind that most of your friends and a lot of Japan don't know a lick of English. Especially the boy that you're rooming with."

"Thank you!" I said in Japanese to the shop owners as we left. That was one of the few phrases of Japanese that I knew, then I continued in English, "Speaking of which, when do I get to meet him? Is he fun?"

"I don't know him personally, but from what I hear he's a good kid, He's got straight A's. Anyway, we're going to have you situated today and we'll try to have you in school by tomorrow. You'll be going to Yamato High and we've already got your uniform at your new home. Sound good?"

"Yep! Can't wait!" We continued on for a little while. Minato gave me all the directions I'd need to get home and back to school. Then he gave me a debit card. He personally would provide the money I'd need to live comfortably. I'm not complaining, the guy's already a multi-millionaire. Once I had everything I needed, he sent me off to explore. He would be keeping track of my movements to make sure I didn't get into any trouble.

"Tyler, I want you to meet me by your host's apartment at exactly six o'clock. I want to formally introduce you to him. Feel free to roam the city for a little and don't blow out that card. I trust that you can handle the city streets."

"Six O'clock, got it! See you there Minato!" I happily jogged off. I wanted to take a peak at my new school, Yamato High. So I walked.

But as I went, I couldn't help but think about what happened last night. I looked around and then headed for a park and took a seat at a bench. I needed to go back before anything else. Something like this was definitely not just an ordinary game. I made sure that no one was listening and said the words.

(Linked In)

"Unlimited Burst!" The world around me turned black and then changed into a machine city with a darkened sky. But there was no volcano this time. But I noticed something unusual. All of the buildings were in the same position as buildings in the real world! The park was even there! Actually it was a scrap yard. But I got the idea that my location in game was directly determined by where I was in real life!

I stood up from my seat and stepped out to the street. This looked like something out of Tron, or better yet Star Wars. But I didn't see any monsters this time. Maybe they were more abundant out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe I was alone after all.

"Gangway, Noob!" My thoughts were interrupted by psychotic laughter and a motorcycle zooming past, "MEGA COOL!". I swear I saw a skeleton driving it! It was another player! I wasn't the only one here after all!

"Get back here Roller! You bastard!" Three avatars in blue hopped from building to building in an attempt to catch up. They looked like cyberpunk samurai.

"Wait!" one said as she quickly grabbed a street light while in the air, swung back around and rolled to a stop thirty feet in front of me.

"Awesome!" I said in English. It was after this that the translator was put to use.

"Beat it! This is blue territory and I don't see you in our ranks!" she snarled. I looked around to make sure she was talking to me.

"My bad. Would you mind telling me exactly where say...brown territory is?" I said joking.

"There's no such thing as brown territory, you dolt!" she face faulted behind her mask.

"Alright! Gees! Look, I'm just new in town so I am not familiar with this territory thing you've got going on."

She growled then tossed me a window. "That's a map of Tokyo's territories. Keep it open and stay out of blue!"

"But I-"

"I said get out!" she dashed forward and slashed with her sword. My health dropped ten percent and her name appeared, Cobalt Blade. I held my shoulder in pain.

"Alright, that's it!" I barked, "I was having a good time looking around the city but you had to come along!" My armor began to glow a little, "I don't care who's territory it is because I'm a solo player. I'm not of any concern to you or your faction. Do us both a favor and go after the guy that almost ran me over. Now If you can excuse me, I've got a city to explore." I turned to walk away.

"Well", Cobalt chuckled, "If you're a solo player, I suppose that there's nothing to stop me from killing you right now. You're only level two so you should provide an easy ten points for me." I backed up a little when I saw that she was a level seven.

I activated Open Fire and said, "Then I'm just going to plan my getaway!" I whirled around and fired at her.

"Damn!" she said as she took cover behind a stone pillar. I Extended Excaliburn and boom-dashed over to her and sliced clean through the pillar, taking off a small piece of her armor.

"Come back here!" she said and we clashed swords.

I whistled in appreciation of the magnificent weapon she wielded, "Impressive."

"So you can actually put up a fight", she mocked. I shoved her back and boom-stepped backwards myself.

"Watch your back Cobalt" I chuckled as the pillar I cut fell right on top of her. Her health dropped to sixty percent.

I walked over to her and saw that her legs and right arm were stuck leaving only her head and left arm to try and reach for her sword. But I kicked it away.

"That is the cheapest trick in the book!" she complained, "That's not fair!" I pointed my gun at her and she went silent. I let the gun spin for a moment before I put it away.

"You know I really should just either kill you right now or let you rot here until your friend finds you." I extended Excaliburn and sliced up the pillar on top of her and rolled it off. I then picked up her sword, helped her back up, and handed it to her.

"And why didn't you finish me off?"she said confused.

"We're even. You lost a decent amount of health and so did I. If this isn't an official challenge then I'm not fighting yet. Besides, I have more effective ways of earning points."

A window appeared in front of her, showing her team mate, "Cobalt! You're injured! What happened back there?"

"Some solo player played a dirty trick on me", she growled, "Your status?"

"We ran into some yellows out here and Crow helped the green escape. Silver Crow really thinks he's all that since he's the only Linker who can fly!"

That's it? Only one other Burst Linker that can fly? I was even higher on the hog than I thought.

"This just got a little more interesting", I chuckled as I dashed off into the ally and Transitioned when no one was looking.

If no one else could fly besides this Silver Crow, then claiming territory for myself would be easy. I quickly flew out a mile past the edge of the city and began tracing a massive circle around in a one mile diameter. It took a while to do but I re-did my scenario I did before. Only this time I put another five X's through the middle of the circle. I realized while looking through my power set that my Prime status allows me to make changes to the environment within territory that I claimed. The only downside was that it would not work if anyone was inside of that claimed area or if it was already claimed in the first place. And this giant empty circle would be my first strip of land.

I flew to the center and took the ball I got from Vulcanus from my chest. I slammed it into the ground, pulled it back out and got out of the way. The ground shook as a mountain rose from the earth and poured Lava out of the top. A volcano. This was one of my character's Special moves, though it took time to prepare. I stepped inside the Lava flow and sighed with relief as my health bar rose to a hundred percent again.

This would be the start of the Orange territory, Magma Prime. It even appeared on the map

All of a sudden, a wall of dust washed over the city and everything changed into a red tinted ruined city. Fires and lava were everywhere. My kind of place. A few Linkers looked over the rooftops at the mountain that had just sprung out of nowhere. And unlike the rest of the city, the volcano hadn't changed except for it's now increased activity. I dove beneath the surface of the volcano and swam all the way to a field of newly formed volcanic glass and I sprang out of the ground in splash of lava.

Over the buildings I saw a metallic grey dot shimmering and it flew above the boarder of Magma Prime. It was Silver Crow. He was tall slim, and had a dome shaped green visor over his face. a metallic pair of bird's wings shimmered on his back. It was a very nice avatar indeed.

"This is incredible!" he said impressed, "What do you make of it Senpai?" He spoke to a team mate through a window chat.

"In all my years in Brain Burst, I've never seen that before. I want you to scout it out for me and come back in one piece. You don't want to disappoint your queen." That was one seductively sweet girl's voice.

"Right." He said as he closed the window and landed under the volcanic glass, "Man she would have loved to see this!" Crow said as he looked at his own reflection. He seemed to take an attitude of amazement and curiosity about this new zone that had just come out of nowhere. He seemed safe to talk to, unlike those other guys that I ran into. Regardless, I decided to keep my distance. Of course, I could still talk to him. So I contacted him while cruising the magma beneath his own feet.

"So you're the famous Silver Crow I've heard about."

"Whoa! Who are you? Did you do this?!" he asked.

"My name is Obsidian Proxy, but you can call me Proxy. And yes, this my doing. It's an ability that comes from an item called the Heart of the Antimagma Titan. Now I can change any unclaimed territory into my own personal battle ground. I don't suppose that you have any trouble with me making a mountainside home base, do you?"

"No, not at all! Well, not as long as the growth is moderated", he thought.

"I plan to keep a tight leash on it. This world it too valuable to be turned into a full volcanic landscape. No, just a little patch is fine with me. What can you tell me about these so-called legions? I'm kind of new to this game."

So Crow told me about the Seven Legions of Pure Color and the kings that ruled them. There was a rather strict leveling system and only seven people have ever reached level nine, the kings, the seventh was the former red king. He said that the person who downloaded my game through a _Di__rect __Link. _The only person who performed a direct link with me was Minato and he did not fit the requirements to be a Burst linker. More than that, leveling up requires two hundred points, not a thousand like it did for me. And all Burst Linkers start out with a hundred points, but I somehow started out with ten thousand! And Crow didn't start out the game with swarming minions and a boss battle. They exist but you never start with them.

Obsidian Proxy's mere existence broke the rules of the game! But I didn't dare reveal that. Actually, according to Crow, you're not supposed to reveal your identity to any linker, unless you were forced into a truce. Apparently people took this game very seriously and real life attacks have happened.

"I see", I said a little downed, "But if I'm on the map does that mean that I've started a new Legion?"

"Is there only one of you?" he asked, "This may be considered your territory with Prime status, but...WAIT! PRIME STATUS?! Oh no! I have to get Lotus!" He panicked and his wings unfurled and he started to take to the skies. He was going for help!

"Oh no you don't!" I thrust my hand above the surface and grabbed his leg.

"What the hell?!" he said as he struggled to lift off, pulling me a little further out.

"I hope you realize that I was right under your feet this whole time. Now, who were you about to get?" I asked.

"I should have figured that you'd have trouble", that girl's voice said. It was the same girl from the chat window that Crow closed. I let crow go and I fully submerged. Right in front of me was a tall black avatar. She was slim and aerodynamic in build and she had a pointed purple mask that shrouded her face. a pair of small blades took the place of her hands. She had sharpened points where her feet should have been, but she didn't need to walk, she floated around just a few inches above the ground.

"Senpai!" Crow said stuttering and sweating comically, "I'm sorry! He got me by surprise!"

"Just relax Crow, everyone gets surprised from time to time", she said calmly but firmly, "Now, I heard something about Prime Status. Am I right?"

"Well. This is surprising", I mused, "If you come in peace then I welcome you to my abode, _sweetheart._" I had my translator say that last word in English, "I am Obsidian Proxy."

"The name's Lotus, Black Lotus, Crow's guardian. Perhaps you've heard of me? No? Then look at my gamer tag and you'll see."

I did so and my blood ran cold. She was level nine! The Black king! Rather the Black Queen.

"Should have figured that a King or Queen would come after this rock. Guess I'll just have to lock it down for now." From beneath the surface I raised an obsidian wall around the glass fields and the mountain itself. Now only Crow and I could enter or leave. I popped up in my previous spot with the others outside the walls. Only letting my head show.

"Look I have a really important appointment soon so I really don't have time to talk", I said.

"I only want to know something from you, Proxy. Then we will let you go on as you please. Do you or do you not have Prime status?" Lotus asked.

I was silent for a moment before saying, "Yes I do." All of a sudden, a pair of swords half the length of her body flipped out of her arms like pocket knives.

"I just noticed something else. You're manipulating your voice", she confirmed.

"_What the hell?! _How did you know that?!" the italicized was English.

"You have a realistic voice, but you still have a metallic twinge. I'm going to have to ask you a few more questions", she slowly approached.

"No thanks. I'm done with interviews for today. Now, it was nice meeting you," I casually saluted with two fingers, "but if you're intent on keeping me here, then I have no choice but to leave you waiting!" I ducked back down and darted to the very edge of the field. Once out of sight, I transformed and took off into the sky and back to the city where I flew straight into the extraction point.

(Link out)

All of that light blinded me for a moment as I came back to reality. That encounter with the Black Queen was not how I wanted to spend my time in Brain Burst. Now I really needed a break. I spent the rest of the day sightseeing and time flew by.

I followed my map to the apartment complex and went to the floor that Minato instructed. He stood outside room 439.

"Not a moment too soon Tyler. You ready to meet your host?"

I turned on my translator and replied, "Ready as I'll ever be." With that, he knocked on the door.

"Come in. The door's unlocked", a voice came from inside and Minato opened the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, I'm Minato, Student Exchange Program."

"Oh yeah. My parents signed us up! Is he here?!" the boy's voice exclaimed.

"He's right here. Come on, Mr. Miller, don't be shy."

I walked in to see a boy in a hoodie and blue jeans. his hair was brown and he had large eyes. He was also very short and a little on the chubby side.

"Mr. Haru, I'd like to introduce your new room mate, Tyler Miller,the first person from the United States to have a Neuro Link installed at birth. Unfortunately, he doesn't speak any Japanese at all, so I've fitted his Link with a two way translator while he learns to speak on his own", he turned to me and spoke in Japanese, "Tyler, this is your host, Haruyuki Arita. He'll show you your way around tomorrow morning. Any questions? No? Then it's time to part ways for now. I'll be coming by every week or so to check up on you. Until we meet again boys!"

"Thank you so much Minato!" I waved before he left.

Turning to Haru I spoke, "I'm sorry that I...wait a minute", I realized that I was actually speaking English, so I sent him a translated chat message while I sorted out the issue, "I'm sorry about arriving on such a short notice, there was a situation back home. It's nice to meet you."

There was another knock on the door, and someone walked in, "Finally. Alright, Haru, now that we're finally free we need to look for...Haru! You never said anything about guests tonight."

The girl in front of me was just shorter than me and had long black hair and a slender frame that was wonderfully flawless. She was gorgeous!

"Sorry Senpai!" Haru panicked comically, "He's here from America. Student Exchange. I forgot that he was arriving today."

"My name is Tyler Miller", I fixed my translator and it spoke Japanese, "Pleasure to meet you." "Wait a minute!" we all yelled at once, and we put the pieces of the puzzle together.

I recognized their voices and Haru's antics from the Unlimited Burst! And they recognized my slightly metallic translation voice! These two were Silver Crow and Black Lotus! The girl quickly locked the door behind her and approached.

"I don't think you'll be able to run from an interview this time, Obsidian Proxy."

(End of Chapter 2)

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Beowulf reporting in!

Looks to me like Tyler's put himself in quite the position. He would have been so much safer if he placed his base on Mount Fuji instead of two miles from Tokyo.

I really don't have much else to say, other than follow, favorite, and review, only if you want to of course.

Peace out!


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